This project is an earlier example of Potentialism (read about Potentialism here), where one land has the potential to accomplish three tasks:
Solves the issues associated with automobile-oriented planning.
Follow the zoning law that requires an educational facility on the land.
Give back to the community by providing space of leisure.
leisure: PARK
zone: SCHOOL
solve: PARKING
The Site
The site has a walled and abandoned school, the set back surrounding the site is used by the residents of the neighborhood as an extra parking spaces, these parking are shaded randomly without clear regulations.
Houses
The Site
The proposal is to create shaded parking floor by raising the floor 2.5m and digging 1.5m.
Houses
The Site
Following the zoning laws, the site is set to be an educational facility, yet it is very spacious to fit all grades of both genders with four classes each.
Four departments are added, all are two-stories: Lower-ground floor that has an access to the underground parking and Higher ground floor that has an access to the users of the school (pedestrians):
The departments are:
Sports Department: used for PE classes in the morning of school days, and the neighborhoods gym for the rest of the year.
Masjid: used for Islamic studies for students and as a typical mosque starting from the Dhuhur Prayer (afternoon prayer).
Science Department: comprised of various laboratories for students and functions as a small museum or science club in the summer.
The Theatre: set of studios surrounding a theatre, to teach performance arts or doubles as spacious exhibition.
Girls Middle School’s courtyard
The neighborhood’s music gathering at night
Summer Science Club
Site Plan
the site plan shows the landscaped roof that creates the public park for the community; the park can be accessed only through the school and is 4.5m above street level, which is bellow the average house in the neighborhood; these design decisions are made to create safe place under the surveillance of the community all the time.
on the right: Girls Middle School and teachers’ office.
on the left: The Theatre and the staircase to the park.
on the right: The Department of Science.
on the left: Into Girls Primary School.